"The reduction in animals needing our care is a positive sign," he said.

"There's been a reduction now for a second year in a row. This is a trend that we're hoping to see, and you could say that we're going to see fewer and fewer animals into the future which is a positive thing.

"So I think some of our messages are really starting to have an impact."

But he says despite the drop, there are still too many animals coming through the door.

He says they are now focusing on programs to help people who want to keep their pets but are struggling to afford them.

Mr Linke says more people are looking to adopt pets from shelters and pounds.

"We're starting to see a trend away from pet shops, from newspapers, from internet purchases," he said.

"The community is starting to realise that animals at shelters and pounds are high quality animals, they get fantastic care and the staff know the animals so we can give people advice about what they're getting.

"So don't shop, adopt."

In 2012, more than 500 cats and 275 kittens (down 45 per cent) were euthanased because they were carrying diseases or feral.

Nearly 100 dogs and 24 puppies were also euthanased for health, medical or behavioural reasons.

It's a fundamental human yearning to be a part of something bigger than one's self, and maybe that's what drove my mate Ash to die, far from home, in a bloody foreign war against Islamic State, writes C August Elliott.